Jammu and Kashmir, the Cold War and the West

This book re-examines the multifaceted reality of the Kashmir problem. The state of Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to India soon after India’s partition. Pakistan laid claim to it waged wars with India to wrest it. The various decisions taken by the USA and Britain in conjunction with India and Pakistan as to how Kashmir should be governed are discussed. Studying the spread of communism, the book makes extensive use of primary resources available in India and the UK. The principal object of the author is to locate conflict in Kashmir within the international politics of the time, during the Cold War, and especially in the context of India’s relationship with the UK. The narratives of the discourse throw light on the varied and salient features of the problem. These have been enriched by an in-depth analysis based on the writings, notes and correspondence of distinguished British and Indian politicians and statesmen. The author has also consulted public documents on US foreign relations as well as other studies. This study explores myths about the Kashmir problem, reinforcing known and unknown truths.